Easy DIY Chicken Coop Plans Who Else Wants the Easy Plans to Build an Attractive & Affordable Long Lasting ‘Predator-Safe’ Chicken Coop from Home That Your Backyard Chickens Love To Lay Eggs In… Buying your chicken coop new from the store will usually cost $500.00 upwards! and all you’ll often get is a flat-pack coop that you have to build yourself anyway, you just end up paying for overpriced materials, no fun! Building your own from home is by far the most cost effective solution, not to mention the most rewarding and fun, however… you need to research and account for the right materials and measurements, nesting boxes, perches and entertainment, lighting, positioning, ventilation, waste collection and of course protection from the elements and deadly predators… …but planning and doing it all yourself can seem just too overwhelming Fortunately there’s an easy, cost-effective solution to build your own attractive, affordable & secure outdoor chicken coop from home in mere hours… If you’re serious about keeping free range backyard chickens, be it out in the countryside, in the suburbs or in the city, you’re about to discover a goldmine… Using this extensive experience in chicken keeping and teaming together with…

Top 5 Reasons Why to Raise Chickens Raising chickens should not be a fuss. There are actually several reasons why people want to cultivate chickens in their backyard. Some of these are written below. Reason # 1 – Chickens love leftovers. A chicken’s appetite is incredible. They can eat almost everything, even their own kind! You can now say bye-bye to those unwanted leftovers being left rotten in your fridge. You feel less guilty of throwing them out into the garbage can. Plus, you can save on chicken feed. But be very careful with what you give for it may be their last supper. Tone down on the onions and garlic. Reason #2 – Eggs! Who doesn’t love eggs? Have them boiled, scrambled, sunny side up, etc. Admit it, pets that live comfortably inside your houses don’t give anything more than barks, meows, purrs, and sometimes, chirp. Fishes, in general, can be eaten, but who would want to eat Goldie? None of these domesticated animals produce something edible. Well, chickens, on the other hand, have lots of benefits. One of the many benefits chickens give is their egg. You can eat fresh eggs right from the source. Either raw…

Raising Chickens 101: Introducing the New Birds on the Block To raise chickens, there are procedures and adaptations to attend to. One very good instance is introducing a group of “new” birds to a flock of old birds. It’s like managing to merge two restaurants when one is Italian and the other is Chinese. Stress will come along. And that is not an assumption but a fact. Many poultry owners who think that they’re ready to expand their chicken farm make certain measures of importing birds that came or was purchased from the outside, while others take their time and wait for hens to hatch their eggs. Adding new breeds into your peaceful and comfortable neighborhood of chickens can put a quite a rumble between the old and the new. Admit it, nobody likes newcomers. And adding these newcomers into a flock of hens or roosters that already have certain territories inside their coop can be big mess. The newcomers will try to take their place too, and the oldies will try their best to protect their area. Fret not, for this kind of attitude and feud lasts for only a couple of days. Adaptation can now take place. You…

Raising Chicken Precautions During Winter and Summer Even though it seems like chickens are fragile creatures, they have certain characteristics that can let them survive through whatever weather may come. But you have to take note that not all chickens are alike. While some can withstand winters, others preferred to sun bathe during summer sunshine. It will all depend on the weather that you are having when you decide to purchase the right kind of chicken so as not to waste money and time raising them and just have them end up in a chicken graveyard. Winter During wintertime or in cold weather days, never try heating your chickens just because you fear that they might catch a cold or freeze. You may find your flock dead in the morning. F.Y.I., chickens can adapt to extreme cold conditions because their body can change the metabolism as the cold weather approaches. If you live in a place where winters are more prominent than summer or is literary winter all the time, you might as well take certain actions for your chickens that will not put any of your chicken’s lives in danger. a. There is a risk that a chicken’s…

Raising Chicken Tips: How to Clip their Wings Clipping a chicken’s wings is an owner’s way of saying “You can’t go anywhere.” It is basically defined as the method of preventing backyard chickens to fly anywhere they want. Some, who think that wind clipping is inhumane, would rather see their chickens flying and wasting their time chasing them around the pen so as not to lose them. But others, who do it, believe that it is more of an advantage than a disadvantage. One of the basic advantages of clipping is that if you keep your chickens in a free-range status, you lessen the thought of worrying that your chickens will go flying around and say “Bon Voyage!” If you wanted to keep your chickens inside their pen and make them lay those eggs, you have to adapt to certain measures no matter how brutal it seems. For those who agree in the idea of clipping and are fascinated on how to clip the wings of their chickens, don’t dare think that there is bloodshed involved because there is none. Well, maybe just a drop. You don’t have to clip everything including the actual wings with muscles, bones, veins…

Proper Construction of a Pen Suitable for Raising Chickens Constructing a pen is easier than it seems. You need to pinpoint some important matters like the materials to buy and the tools to use. Plus, you also have to consider the area where to build the suitable pen for raising your chickens. Alright, the easy yet crucial part begins with planning. First, the area, then the size of the pen. The pen size usually depends on how many chickens will be raised. Look at the option on what kind of birds you are dealing with. Novice or not, it is still better to start off with the most basic pen using the wire and post design. Here, the materials that you’ll need are the posts, wire, and staples that can be used for fences. The tools are also basic namely a sledgehammer, the ordinary hammer, wire cutters, and crowbar. Now that you have gathered all materials and tools, surveyed the area, and is assured that there is none to worry about, it’s time for the construction. To start with, look at the ground you’re working on. Notice the stiffness and dryness. If it’s anything like that, you have to…

Bird Flu: A Chicken Raiser’s Nightmare Since its outbreak, every poultry owner had become aware of the consequences that can happen if this deadly disease is not prevented. Bird flu or what is also known avian (meaning bird) influenza (flu), is the number one killer of poultry chickens in Asia and some parts of the world. Bird flu started in China and became a widespread disease for their chickens thus wiping out over millions of poultry businesses and dropping the chicken industry to a devastating point. The thing about avian flu is that, not only can it affect birds but also humans which makes the illness more dangerous to various lives. It can be passed from chicken to chicken, chicken to person, person to person, person to chicken, and so on. That is why authorities in the health sectors are taking this serious matter in their hands and are making strict surveillance. Avian influenza is not just a disease underlying a typical cold. It is more than that. In fact, it can kill an entire poultry habitation within a week. If passed onto a person, it can be more lethal as a person can interact with hundreds of people…

Raising Chicken Tips: How to Prevent the Spread of Bird Flu Chicken raising has its sacrifices and benefits. Usually what the owner sees is the benefit beyond the sacrifices and problems. That would be fine for as long as you can handle whatever circumstances may occur. In cases of bird flu, the only way out is proper handling of your poultry and making sure that the place is spiffy clean. Poultry farm owners sometimes underestimate cleanliness. But sometimes, the more people tend to underestimate things, the more it becomes a serious matter. Sometimes, when its severity had come to its boiling point, it’s too late to cool it down. There are two causes of bird flu (also known as Avian Influenza) – cold weather and dirty places. Why should you know the cause? To prevent the spread of the disease even before it develops at your very own backyard. Once you know the cause, it will be easier on your part to identify the different measure you have to make to prevent the disease from spreading. Get rid of the cause then none of this will happen. That will be more convenient and less expensive than waiting for the…

Raising Chicken Tips: Requirements for Building a Coop A coop is what you normally call a chicken’s house. It’s their kingdom! A hen’s castle. So you have to make sure to keep their house maintained at a four star accreditation for this will help the chickens grow healthy and happy. Therefore, to keep it the way it should be, there are specific requirements to cope up with to build a coop that will satisfy both you and your chickens. You, the poultry owner, of all people should understand this. Requirement #1 Regarding its design, the coop must be secured from any kind of predator. Every single angle in the pen – sides, below and above, must be structured to withstand the wrath and longing of predators who are always on the lookout for a free meal. When selecting a wire mesh, be sure it is the right one. Predators are more than one. They scour within the area of your coop unnoticed just waiting for the time when they can attack. You have to make sure that the coop is impenetrable because some predators like raccoons just reach out for their prey, easily. Requirement #2 In connection with requirement…

Choosing a Chicken Breed to Raise There are varieties of chickens to raise. Choosing a breed will depend on the kind of chicken that you want to raise. There are chickens that seem healthy but their egg-laying capacity is frail while other chickens give out lots of eggs every day. Before finally choosing the right chicken to raise, you have to consider a lot of things. Different angles must be taken into consideration like the place where your chickens will live. Do you have a big backyard? Is it wide enough to let your chosen number of chickens to roam? You have to think about this factor because chickens differ in breeds Â– some are small and others are large. Also, another factor is the environment you are living in. If you’re living along the equator, it is expected that the temperature within that place be, most of the time, scorching hot. But if you’re living somewhere up above or down below, it becomes colder. Now, which of the two are you? There are cross breeds that can resist whatever the weather that may come. Production Reds is one of many typical examples. They can be tamed and are…